Rep's 'The Sound Of Music', Circa 1980 (By: Airs In G) The Batasan Hills are alive with the sound of Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel's music. Lame pun. Can't help it, though. You see, that's Risa Hontiveros right there in the picture, third from left, decades before she became the fiery Akbayan party-list representative in Congress. Just 14 years old in 1980, she played one of Captain Von Trapp's seven children in Repertory Philippines' stellar production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music," directed by the late Bibot Amador.

Consider the other cast members: (from left) Menchu Lauchengco (now Yulo, then 17 and playing Liesl), Raymond Lauchengco (14, honing his chops for "Bagets" and "Farewell" a few years down the road), Javier Arriaga (12), Monique Wilson (10), Lea Salonga (9), and Angela Adams (5). Read the entire article at: http://gibbscadiz.blogspot.comThe Metro Pop1978-1985 (By: Letters From Canberra)When Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972, Filipino artists began to skirt around chaos and propaganda by coming up with artistic creations that supposedly celebrated nuances of what can be considered “Philippine”. A number of Filipino artistic creations in literature, music, dance, visual arts, film, television, etc. Also contained thinly-disguised political messages that narrowly escaped the prying eyes of the local board of censors. This scenario was clearly evident even after the rise of original Pilipino music (OPM), also during that time.Read the entire article at: http://todaimitaka.blogspot.comNEWS FLASH!Many thanks to these blogs that have featured Nostalgia Manila this week:

"Naaalala mo pa ba ito?"Everyone has some Nostalgia Treasure waiting to be found. Dig up your Nostalgia Treasure and share it with all our readers! Simply take photos of your Nostalgia Treasure and send them to: nostalgiamanilamail[at]yahoo[dot]com and we'll feature it here at Nostalgia Manila!

Heto ang naka-display sa mga grocery shelves noon at nilalagyan ng presyo dahil wala pang automated barcode system. This POS is also very special for our friend V.J. kasi one of the cute little girls in the advert is his fiancee. Cute diba?

"Tabi-tabi po!"Nostalgia Lists contain various fun memories of the '60s, '70s and '80s. Everyone is encouraged to participate and add to these growing lists. Send in your list items to nostalgiamanilamail[at]yahoo[dot]com, and those chosen will be added to the next list. Please make sure to check past Nostalgia Lists to see if your list items have already been posted.

When I was a kid back in the 70s we used to visit my lolas house every Sunday. She lived in this big house in New Manila which was passed on to her by her mother. It was a very old house and had been built by my great-great-grandfather who owned the property. As much as I loved the Sunday gatherings, seeing my titos and titas, and playing with my cousins, my family was never really comfortable with the house, and we always felt this creepy vibe every time we visited. There were many stories the family shared about that house which I remember hearing when I was very young. It wasn't a surprise that my lola had many housekeepers and drivers come and go throughout the years. Even new ones would only last a few weeks until they decided to pack their bags and leave as well.

I remember my Tita Conching got very sick one time, and the doctors at St. Luke's Hospital couldn't figure out what was causing her illness. My Tito Eming had the house blessed by the local priest from Mt. Carmel Church many times. Our family held a novena in the livingroom praying for her recovery. The doctors tried their very best to give her medication, but she didn't get any better. As each day passed her condition worsened, and everyone in our family felt helpless. One Sunday afternoon during a novena I decided to visit the servant's quarters, which was a smaller but cozy room where the driver and my lola's guard would hang out. They had been serving the family for many years and were also deeply concerned about my tita's illness. I don't recall the entire conversation between Mang Danny (the driver) and Sarge (the guard), but it was something about the huge Balete tree in my lola's garden. I remember Mang Danny saying "dapat kasi ipaputol ni mam yung puno ng Balete" then Rosario (one of the maids) passed by us, weeping after coming from the novena. A few days later, I overheard my dad talking to his brother on the phone. I found out that Tito Eming had convinced my lola to have the tree chopped down, and on my next visit to my lola's house I saw that the tree was gone. Mang Danny told my dad that our priest came by in the afternoon to bless the garden and pray over the spot where the Balete tree used to stand. That same week my Tita Conching had a miraculous recovery, and the puzzled doctors released her from the hospital. Our family had a dinner party to celebrate her being back home, and everyone was happy except for my lola. She wasn't in such a good mood as she thought that cutting the tree down was a bad idea.

One summer my cousin Cocoy came to stay at my lola's house; he and his mother were visiting from Bacolod. Cocoy was one of my favorite cousins as we were such good playmates every time we got together. We would always run around the house, but our favorite play spot was my lola's garden. We would always use the veranda steps as our Voltes V base and pretend to do battle with imaginary Bozanians. My yaya at the time, who was slightly overweight, would always be out of breath trying to keep up with us spastic kids. One hot afternoon after having exhausted ourselves from an entire day of playing, Cocoy discovered these mounds on the ground right by where the Balete tree used to be. They looked like huge ant hills, about a foot and a half high. The ever curious Cocoy kicked one of the mounds and tried to open it up with his plastic sword, hoping to find an army of ants inside. We were surprised to find out that there weren't any ants to be found, and that the mound didn't seem to be hollow at all. I don't quite remember what happened after that, but i do remember my yaya screaming for help and carrying Cocoy back inside the house. My dad came by to pick me up after work, and I remember him giving me this long lecture. I kept on crying and told him that we were just playing. I told him that I didn't remember much, except that Cocoy had kicked down one of the huge mounds in the garden. My dad did not take note of this and took me straight home. He probably thought that Cocoy had collapsed because of exhaustion and dehydration, and he blamed Cocoy's collapse on our playing too much in the hot summer sun.

The next day my dad dropped me off at my lola's house, only for me to discover the most shocking thing I've ever seen in my life. Mang Danny said that Cocoy was very sick and that it probably wasn't a good idea to see him, but I insisted on seeing my cousin. I ran up the stairs to his room and saw him asleep on his bed. I almost screamed in fear when I saw Cocoy's right leg (which he used to kick the mound); it was covered in boils! His entire right leg was swollen and covered in gruesome boils. The maids told my yaya that they did not get any sleep watching over my cousin who was in great pain. "Bakit kasi sinipa ni Cocoy yung bahay ng Dwende...", whispered Mang Danny in a very sad tone. His mother (my Tita Sylvia) was used to these sort of things as she'd seen similar incidents growing up in Leyte. She said that an Albulario would be the only person who would be able to cure Cocoy. My aunt sent a telegram to a friend in Bacolod and requested for an Albulario to come to my lola's house. It took a few days, but the Albulario finally came and immediately started his work on Cocoy. I remember sitting outside Cocoy's room feeling very scared and spooked to the bone. I distinctly remember hearing Cocoy's painful screams along with the chanting of the Albulario. A few days later, Cocoy recovered and his boils disappeared. His skin had no scars or any signs of boils having been there. The Albulario explained to our family that he had to make several offerings to make peace with the Dwendes in the garden; they were very angry at Cocoy for destroying one of their homes. Cocoy went back to Bacolod a week after his recovery, and sadly never came back for summer vacations.

My family decided to sell the house in the 1980's after my lola passed away, but the house is still there. It looks much older and the faded statues around the driveway still stand. I often think of stopping by whenever I'm in the area, but I never really get the chance. I would think of introducing myself to its new owners and have a look around for a bit. But every time I drive by and catch a glimpse of the garden, I immediately feel a chill down my spine that makes the hairs on my arms stand up. The feeling that takes me back to that one summer. The summer that made me believe in things I could not explain.--Sandy / Antipolo

Balete drive is located in New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines. The intersection of Balete Drive is between Aurora Blvd that is a few blocks away from Gilmore Avenue and St. Paul College of Quezon City. The east side exits near St. Luke's Medical Hospital and the west side exits near GMA-7 and Tomas Morato Avenue. On the other hand, the center intersection of Aurora Blvd is Edsa-Cubao, the shopping center of Filipinos in the 1970s.

The street is known for white lady apparitions and haunted houses built during the Spanish Era (1800s). New Manila is populated with Balete Trees, according from folklores this tree is the favorite spot of wandering spirits and other paranormal entities. Paranormal experts concluded that the white lady was raped by Japanese soldiers during World War 2 which is parallel to the movie. The witnesses of the white lady, advised motorists to avoid the street at night especially when alone. If they insist, the backseat of the car must be full and no one should look back or look to any mirror. The white lady wears a night gown, has a long hair but has no face or drenched with blood. These occurrences can be seen in the movie. --Wikipedia

"Naaalala mo pa ba ito?"Everyone has some Nostalgia Treasure waiting to be found. Dig up your Nostalgia Treasure and share it with all our readers! Simply take photos of your Nostalgia Treasure and send them to: nostalgiamanilamail[at]yahoo[dot]com and we'll feature it here at Nostalgia Manila!

"According to legend, during the Japanese Occupation, the comedy team of Pugo and Tugo performed a skit in Avenue Theather, where Tugo was wearing a full-regalia military uniform."

"It didn't help that the Prime Minister of War time Japan was (also named) Togo. Apparently, Pugo and Tugo was picked up by the Kempetai. To the minds of many, the attempt at Free Speech cost them a lot of punches and bruises at the garrison in Intramuros." --Howie (comment on the article: Tearing down a masterpiece for a parking lot)

Feast your eyes on the grooviest, most amazing threads you'll ever find! Walk into a closet filled with the rarest vintage gear, unique accessories, and all kinds of clothing that will surely take you back to a colorful decade you always loved.

Before They Were LegendsThis photo features The Ramrods and The YoungTones touring in Tokyo in the early '70s. The Youngtones had well-known guitarist Nestor De Las Alas, who was good friends with Ramrods members: Bob Guzman who would later form Boyfriends (famous for their hits "Sumayaw Sumunod", "Dahil Mahal Kita", & "Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal"), Celso Llarina and Snaffu Rigor, pioneers or the Manila Sound and would later form Cinderella. A few more years later Snaffu Rigor would start producing and make stars out of many OPM artists including Freddie Aguilar. Celso Llarina would later become a member of legendary disco kings and hitmakers Vst & Company.

Time is frozen in a single frame of film. Every bit of detail is perfectly captured by the camera lens. These photos take us back to those wonderful days when everything seemed so fresh and new, those days we wished would last forever. Relive those special moments in your life, and share your memories with Photo Nostalgia!

(CLICK ON PHOTO FOR LARGER VIEW)

Our friend Sachiko sent us this amazing photo of store signs which we all remember seeing in downtown Manila in the '70s. She writes:

"This is where we used to shop during those days, when malls and big department stores that houses several movie houses was not yet the norm. There was Ever Emporium, C.O.D. and Alemar’s Bookstore to name a few. Ahh, and the movie theatres..Roxan, Avenue, Lords, Jennet and Galaxy theatres. I remember I was in my high school uniform,skipping classes, and along with my cousin Nancy,would watched movies after movies. Can’t help feeling sentimental. Can’t help feeling nostalgic."

Time is frozen in a single frame of film. Every bit of detail is perfectly captured by the camera lens. These photos take us back to those wonderful days when everything seemed so fresh and new, those days we wished would last forever. Relive those special moments in your life, and share your memories with Photo Nostalgia!

Our friend BatJay who is famous in the Pinoy Blog Community and author of his successful book Kwentong Tambay, sent us this photo of him as a young boy standing on top of his father's car with his cousin. "Cute diba?"Visit his blog at: http://kwentongtambay.nicanordavid.com, and get a copy of his book Kwentong Tambay.

Album Of The Week is made possible through the kindness of our good friend Edward De Los Santos. For the best source of classic records, vintage magazines, and other amazing vintage collectibles, visit his Ebay stores: philippine.music (Ebay Philippines), and oldbestseller (Ebay USA).

October 19, 2006

Nostalgia Manila is proud to present: The Sesame Street Lunchbox! Featuring video clips of all your favorite scenes from the original Sesame Street series.

Sesame Street played a big role in educating the younger generation during the '70s. Many agree that the original series was far more imaginative and educational compared to the one you see today. This is for everyone who grew up with the original Sesame Street. Enjoy!

"The People In Your Neighborhood.""Oh who are the people in your neighborhood?... The people that you meet each day!"

Alam na alam mo ang kantang ito. "Oh who are the people in your neighborhood? In your neighborhood..." usually kinakanta ng mga cast members ng Sesame Street. The song features various professions played and acted out by various muppets and characters.

The Latest Features & HeadlinesDon't ever miss a post and be on top of the latest features and headlines:

Subscribe to RSS headline updates from: Powered by FeedBurner

Get All That Nostalgia Manila Goodness!Get a Nostalgia Manila Email Subscription today and enjoy all the benefits of this wondeful service. Today, if subscribers want to read / view / watch syndicated online content, they typically have to go to where the content is hosted, or know how to subscribe to the feed and consume the content within an aggregator or reader (e.g. MyYahoo!, FeedDemon, ect.). With a Nostalgia Manila Email Subscription, you will receive all that Nostalgia Manila goodness straight to your inbox, similar to an e-newsletter. This is delivered to you in easy-to-read, plain text or HTML email containing the latest Nostalgia Manila posts. What are you waiting for? Sign Up for a Nostalgia Manila Email Subscription today!

Let everyone know you have Nostalgia Fever!Nostalgia Fever is quite a contagious thing, and the best way to spread it is to add this cute chicklet to your site. It's real easy! All you have to do is copy and paste the HTML code below (make sure you copy the entire code), add it to your own page, and you're done! Show your love for Nostalgia Manila and spread Nostalgia Fever today!

BLOG INFO & LINKS

CONTACT INFO

Nostalgia Manila was created as a place for everyone who wishes to relive the excitement of the '60s, '70s and '80s.

ADVERTISERS: CONTESTS & REVIEWSNostalgia Manila is a great place to promote a new product or service! This blog has hosted many online contests and posted reviews to the satisfaction of various advertisers.

If you would like to have this blog host an online contest to promote your product, please send your project proposal via email.

FANS & CONTRIBUTORSGot something cool to share? Everyone is welcome to contribute material such as photos, stories, articles, etc. You shall get full credit for any material you wish to share with our readers.